Young Woman's Life Saved from Severe Drug Allergy at Erebuni Medical Center

Erebuni Medical Center reports that a 29-year-old woman was transferred from another medical facility to Erebuni Medical Center in critical condition due to Steven-Johnson syndrome, bilateral pneumonia, and had to be immediately hospitalized in the intensive care unit.

The patient's condition deteriorated sharply after she received antibiotic treatment for pneumonia days earlier, which led to a severe reaction to medication causing the life-threatening drug allergy known as Steven-Johnson syndrome. The management of her treatment was urgently undertaken by the head of the intensive care unit, Armen Muradyan, and the head of the allergology department, Kristina Jamalyan.

The treatment strategy involved two parallel approaches: addressing both the pneumonia and the drug allergy simultaneously, which presented a significant challenge. It was essential to select antibiotics for pneumonia treatment that would not exacerbate the drug allergy. Interestingly, the patient had never had a drug allergy before; thus, meticulous research was carried out to find a medication that would not trigger allergic reactions.

Steven-Johnson syndrome is a severe allergic condition that causes skin necrosis, affecting both the skin and mucous membranes, including internal organs. The mortality rate associated with this syndrome is relatively high at around 30 percent.

For ten days, doctors in the intensive care unit fought to save her life, and after her condition stabilized, the patient continued receiving treatment in the allergology department for another ten days. Thanks to substantial professional efforts, the young woman’s life was successfully saved. She has since been discharged with recovery.